Doña Gerbasia Mendoza, a Chatina healer 

Picture by: Beatriz Loaeza

Foreword

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Many years ago, I met Doña Gerbasia Mendoza, she is originally from Santiago Cuixtla, one of the magic small towns in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. She is a short, brown skin color, indigenous Chatina woman. Her semblance is calm, and her knowledge about medicinal plants is deep. My long talks with Doña Gerbasia transformed my view of the world and helped me to find my way.  I am not an anthropologist nor a “brujo” apprentice, I graduated from the Engineering in Agriculture and Plant Sciences at the Chapingo Autonomous University. I was formed with the productivist and technical vision of the agronomy. However, my passion for plants and my friendship with Doña Gerbasia made me understand the diversity of phenomena that intersect in the simple and repeated act of interacting humans with plants. In this way, I was able to observe how religion, mysticism, traditions and cosmovisions are interrelated around the body, health and usages of plants.

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Inspired by these experiences, I decided to set up a study of these phenomena from all potential perspectives, thereby, I began to link some tools offered by anthropology, sociology of the body, plant taxonomy and phytochemistry to better understand and to share with you the hidden syncretism in the traditional medical practice of Doña Gerbasia.

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This website is aim to spread the astonishment experience of documenting theses practises through this transdisciplinary adventure in the magical world that, does not resemble the one that Carlos Castaneda experienced with Don Juan Matus nor the one experienced by Robert Gordon with Maria Sabina, but, I believe, has awesome points in common.

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                           Eduardo Loaeza

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